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Weekly News Recap: October 29, 2021

Vincent Duckworth

Weekly News Recap: October 29, 2021

Lance Cardinal poses for a portrait at Soulflame Creative Studios in Edmonton on Oct. 21, 2021. For the first time in the history of the Edmonton Oilers, a land acknowledgment is being incorporated into the opening ceremonies for every home game. (Lance Cardinal/The Canadian Press)

The land knows you, even when you are lost. -- Robin Wall Kimmerer

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • Climate change in India: The young inventor's solar-powered ironing cart (BBC) #Brilliant "Ironing vendors are common across India. The irons are heated using charcoal, a fuel that contributes to air pollution. But Vinisha Umashankar, from Tamil Nadu, has found a clean solution. Vinisha's ironing cart is powered by solar energy, which can be stored in batteries and used during the night. Her invention was nominated for this year's Earthshot Prize."

  • A few idealistic Canadians are trying to replant the world’s forests with flying machines (Washington Post) CANADIAN STORY Only mildly dystopian. "Bryce Jones has seen it all trying to fly his drones: equipment hiccups, execution mishaps, the time he miscalculated the takeoff angle and flew a vehicle right into a tree. Jones isn’t a hobbyist messing with backflips at the local park — he’s head of Flash Forest, a young start-up with the unusual idea of deploying drones to bombard the landscape with tree seedpods."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. Blackfoot language trailblazer, educator named to Alberta Order of Excellence (The Star) ALBERTA STORY Congrats to Ms. Heavy Shields-Russell and to all the recipients of this year's Order of Excellence. "Love and respect are heard clearly in the words of Tom Russell and Maria Russell when they speak about their mother Lena Heavy Shields-Russell, one of eight recipients of the 2021 Alberta Order of Excellence."

  2. Vatican says Pope Francis has agreed to visit Canada, meet with Indigenous leaders (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Good move from the Holy Father. "Pope Francis has agreed to visit Canada to help ongoing efforts at reconciliation with Indigenous people following the discovery this summer of hundreds of potential burial sites at former church-run residential schools, the Vatican said on Wednesday."

  3. Cree artist helps Edmonton Oilers craft Indigenous land acknowledgment (CBC) EDMONTON STORY This is a really great land acknowledgement. I know because when I watch it, I feel it. Kudos to all. "When Lance Cardinal was approached by the Edmonton Oilers to act as an Indigenous consultant, the Cree artist and designer knew the first thing he wanted to do was create a land acknowledgment. Cardinal worked with the National Hockey League team and Chief Wilton Littlechild, a former commissioner for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to come up with a video briefly describing the history of the land that the club's downtown arena sits on."

  4. New Inglewood pump track now open for Calgary bikes (LiveWire) CALGARY STORY This is cool! "Calgary’s newest bike-centric park is now open in Inglewood. The city’s third pump track opened to test riders on Friday, and was opened fully to the public on Saturday. 'Biking has become so popular and we need more family-friendly biking amenities–there are very few pump tracks in Calgary and this one is unique and offers something for everyone,' said Sheila Taylor, CEO of Parks Foundation Calgary. What is a pump track you ask? Well, read on."

  5. Americans are more generous than Europeans — by a large margin (New York Post) I have always found this to be true. "Liberals often love to portray America as a cartoonishly greedy nation driven by a hyperindividualistic and capitalistic nature that exhibits little concern regarding the common good or others around the world. This idea pervades our culture. When asked to describe themselves, 68 percent of Americans came to the word 'selfish' as the top negative trait. Yet by nearly every measure Americans are more generous with their money and time than anyone — including Europeans."

  6. What's wrong with land acknowledgments, and how to make them better (CBC) CANADIAN STORY This is a great piece to help you develop and deliver an authentic land acknowledgment. "They've become so commonplace that you'll hear land acknowledgments at the start of hockey games, during academic conferences and even written at the bottom of corporate email signatures. In an era of reconciliation, they're political statements meant to recognize First Nations, Inuit, and Métis territory, however many Indigenous people argue they've grown to become superficial, performative — and problematic. CBC Indigenous spoke with five First Nations people about the issues they see, what they expect when others make land acknowledgments and advice on how they can ring less hollow."

  7. Canadian Donors Giving More to Charity (AFP Global) CANADIAN STORY "Canadian donors gave almost $1000 to charity, on average, according to the 2021 [...] The survey, which featured 1,561 Canadians age 18 or older who have given to charity in the past and were surveyed in April 2021, found that 76% of respondents gave to charity over the past 12 months. Of those who gave, 49% contributed $200 or less, and 51% gave more than $200, with the average gift size being $965."

  8. Getting in the game (Bow Valley College) CALGARY STORY Good for BVC. Good for Calgary. Good for Alberta. More please. "The interactive gaming market is exploding right now, and Bow Valley College Centre for Entertainment Arts (CEA) is ready to become player one, announcing [...] that it’s launching a new Advanced Game Development Diploma. The next generation of game developers and designers will start training in the Fall 2022 semester."

  9. DC Comics reveal that latest Superman character is bisexual (BBC) This is great. "In its next comic book issue, due for release in November, Jon will be pictured in a same-sex relationship with his friend Jay Nakamura. The storyline is part of 'Superman: Son of Kal-El', a series following Jon as he takes on the mantle of Superman from his father, Clark Kent. DC Comics made the announcement on National Coming Out Day, an annual LGBT awareness day started in the US."

  10. It’s time for philanthropy to step up the fight against climate change (McKinsey) They are not wrong. "Climate change has begun to exacerbate societal challenges in many areas that philanthropies have prioritized, such as education, health, human rights, equality, and food security. Still greater threats to human well-being lie ahead. Climate hazards are set to become more frequent and more intense over the coming decade, and McKinsey research shows that levels of physical risk will increase unless global greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions are drastically reduced."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. Stop Striving to be the Best Version of Yourself. Do This Instead. (On The Couch) All good but #1, #4, and #5 really speak to me.

  2. This Japanese Budgeting System Is Helping Me Define What Matters in My Life (Forge) I love the categories. Culture is one of four.

  3. The 10 Best Data Visualizations of 2021 (Towards Data Science) These are amazing. I was especially entranced by 221 Years of Health and Wealth.

  4. 5 Habits of Extremely Good Listeners (Personal Growth) #1 and #5 spoke to me.

  5. 4 Gut Floras That Will Make You Leaner, And How to Increase Them. (Health How-Tos) Interesting that some of them are related to activity not food.

  6. 15 Psychological Facts That Will Blow Your Mind (Glorin Santhosh) Ha! Now I know why we have trouble getting the memory of something correct.

  7. Feeling Overwhelmed? You Need an MVD—That’s Minimum Viable Day (Index) I use this all the time when I am overwhelmed.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. $1-million Sobey donation will help protect Guysborough wilderness (Guysborough Journal) HALIFAX STORY Great gift. "A $1-million donation from the Sobey family last week to the Nova Scotia Nature Trust will help protect more wilderness areas in Guysborough [County.]"

  2. Fisherman's Friend tycoon leaves £41m to hometown Fleetwood (BBC) Yep, they taste awful but clearly that did not stop them from becoming insanely popular. "A coastal town has received a £41m donation from a woman who was involved in the success of Fisherman's Friend cough sweets. Businesswoman Doreen Lofthouse, who died in March aged 91, has left her fortune to a charity that aims to develop her Fleetwood hometown."

  3. UCalgary announces $10M gift to create Hopewell M.I.N.D. Prize (UCalgary) CALGARY STORY This is amazing! "Calgarians are known for making big, bold things happen. Sanders Lee is one of them. A record-breaking new prize in brain and mental health research will bring new ideas to the fore — sparking innovation through cutting-edge research at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI). The Hopewell M.I.N.D. (Maximizing Innovation in Neuroscience Discovery) Prize, created through a philanthropic commitment by Calgary business leader Sanders Lee, is the largest-ever prize for innovative research at the HBI — totalling $10 million."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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